Orthopaedic surgeon warns of hip replacement dangers

One of London's leading Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons warns of the dangers posed to patients by what he believes to be ill thought out innovations in hip surgery. The article, which appears on inCapitalHealth clearly sets out what works in hip surgery - and what doesn't.

Mr Robert Marston, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at St Mary's Hospital and The Hospital of St John & St Elizabeth writes, "Forty years ago hip replacement became a reproducibly successful treatment for arthritis. There are continuing innovations in order to obtain the holy grail of hip replacement, the everlasting prosthesis. Unfortunately some of these innovations are ill thought out and poorly researched before being introduced into clinical practice. An unsuspecting public are often beguiled by ill informed articles in daily papers."

This article makes essential reading for anyone considering hip replacement surgery. It describes all the options and highlights the value of the The Swedish Hip Register. This was started in the 1970s and provides orthopaedic surgeons with well documented evidence of the success rates of the various hip replacement techniques.

Decisions about hip surgery should always be based on a thorough risk/benefit analysis. Whilst new technology is frequently promoted as superior its benefits can be hypothetical and the risks unknown. Mr Marston's article gives hip surgery patients the information they need to make sound decisions.